LIVE UPDATES: Madleen Gaza flotilla with Greta Thunberg and crew reach Egypt

• The Madleen ship, launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), is en route to Gaza, carrying humanitarian aid as the Palestinian enclave faces food shortages due to more than 90 days of total Israeli blockade.
• Climate activist Greta Thunberg is among the 12 activists on board the vessel to break Israel’s siege of the Strip since March 2. The enclave has already been under Israel’s land, sea and air blockade since 2007.
• The Madleen departed Catania, Sicily, on June 1, just one month after Israeli drones bombed another FFC aid ship headed for Gaza. This is the latest effort to send aid into Gaza, where more than 54,000 people have been killed in Israeli bombardment.
• The 2,000km (1,250-mile) journey is expected to take seven days, provided there are no disruptions. The ship’s location is being monitored live by Forensic Architecture and using a Garmin live tracker on board. The latest location as of June 4, at 07:23 GMT, was 70 nautical miles (130km) southwest of the Greek island of Crete.
• Multiple reports in Israeli media say that the military will not allow the ship to reach Gaza, and that the activists risk detention and the seizure of their ship if they failt to comply with the Israeli army.

Madleen reaches Egypt

The aid ship with 12 activists on board, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, has reached the Egyptian coast and is nearing the besieged Palestinian territory, organisers say in a statement carried by AFP news agency.

“We are now sailing off the Egyptian coast,” German human rights activist Yasemin Acar told AFP. “We are all good,” she added.

In a statement from London on Saturday, the International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza – a member organisation of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition – said the ship had entered Egyptian waters.

The group said it remains in contact with international legal and human rights bodies to ensure the safety of those on board, warning that any interception would constitute “a blatant violation of international humanitarian law”.

European parliament member Rima Hassan, who is on board the vessel, urged governments to “guarantee safe passage for the Freedom Flotilla”.

Rima Hassan: Blocking Gaza-bound ship violates international law

French Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan called for the Madleen ship to be allowed to reach Gaza and for its safety to be guaranteed.

Speaking from on board the ship, Hassan asserted that any attempt to target or intercept the ship would constitute a flagrant violation of international law, and would not deter the 12 activists from continuing their voyage.

Israel has said it would prevent the ship from reaching Gaza, while an Israeli military spokesperson confirmed that the ship is being treated as a security threat.

According to current sailing data, the ship’s crew is expected to reach 100 nautical miles (185km) from Gaza on Monday, the point at which the ship is likely to be intercepted, based on previous incidents.

Our journey carries a message to stand with Gaza: Activist on Madleen

Yasmin Acar, one of several activists on board the Madleen, has spoken to Al Jazeera about the crew’s ongoing journey to Gaza.

Here is a summary of what Acar said:

• We are trying to bring in aid as Israel is violating international law.
• The world has been silent for 20 months amid the genocide in Gaza.
• Our journey carries a message to the world about the need to stand with the people of the Gaza Strip.
• We are going to the Gaza Strip because our governments oppress us and do not listen to us.

Where is the Madleen now?

We don’t know. The livetracker we usually check to see where the vessel is does not show any marker on its map as of 07:30 GMT.

We will bring you more information as soon as we get it.

Who is onboard the Madleen?

As the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) approaches Gaza, the 12 activists onboard are preparing for a showdown with Israeli authorities, who have said they are monitoring the vessel and will block its arrival.

Here’s a breakdown of who is on the ship:

• Greta Thunberg, a Swedish climate and social justice activist
• Rima Hassan, a member of the European Parliament representing France’s far-left La France Insoumise party
• Omar Faiad, a French journalist with Al Jazeera who is covering the trip
• Yanis Mhamdi, a journalist at the French independent media outlet, Blast, also there to report on the trip
• Pascal Maurieras, a French activist and experienced flotilla participant
• Thiago Avila, a Brazilian journalist, social activist and politician who has been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause for almost two decades
• Baptiste Andre, a French physician who is expected to assist passengers or demonstrators injured in possible confrontations with Israeli forces
• Yasemin Acar, a German activist of Kurdish descent and part of the FCC’s steering committee
• Reva Viard, a climate activist from France
• Suayb Ordu, a Turkish activist
• Sergio Toribio, a crew member from Spain and a member of the marine conservation NGO, Sea Shepherd
• Marco Van Rennes, a Dutch marine engineering student and crew member

US lawmakers send letter to Trump demanding safe passage for Madleen

Palestinian American Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib said she was leading a group of lawmakers in sending a letter to US President Donald Trump urging the State Department to ensure the “safe passage of the Freedom Flotilla” to Gaza.

The letter, signed by 11 Democratic lawmakers, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar, warned that “any Israeli attack or interception would be a violation of international law”.

“The Israeli government must lift the blockade, allow for the safe passage of humanitarian aid, and end the forced starvation of Palestinians,” the letter said.

Where is the Madleen now?

According to a livetracker on board the vessel, as of 23:14 GMT, the Madleen is sailing in international waters off the coast of Egypt. It’s unclear when it will begin its approach to Gaza.

We will bring you more information when we have it.

Flotilla coalition urges UK to protect the Madleen

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition has noted that the Madleen is a UK-flagged civilian ship, which means the United Kingdom “has a legal duty to protect its vessel and the civilians aboard from Israeli interference”.

The coalition urged people to contact the British government to demand protection for the ship.

‘Keep your eyes’ on the flotilla: US lawmaker

US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has urged people around the world to keep track of the flotilla as it nears Gaza amid concerns the Israeli military could attack the Madleen.

As we’ve been reporting, Israel has said it will not allow the vessel to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza, which remains under a tight Israeli blockade.

‘Climate justice and social justice are inseparable’: FFC

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition has shared a message from Greta Thunberg, the climate activist on-board the vessel bound for Gaza, linking the fight to combat the climate crisis to the fight for Palestinian rights and social justice.

“The ongoing violence in Gaza, fuelled by the machinery of war, not only perpetuates genocide but also contributes to the global climate crisis,” the group said in a post on X.

“The fossil fuels required for military operations, combined with the environmental destruction caused by warfare, intensify climate change.”

Back on course for Gaza

The Madleen has now handed over the four Sudanese refugees to the European Coastguard, and is back on course for Gaza, according to our Al Jazeera reporter on board.

The experience would have been confusing for the individuals who had escaped Sudan only to find themselves on a boat headed to Gaza.

The remaining refugees were taken by the Libyan Coast Guard, who were sailing unflagged and initially identified themselves as Egyptian.

This diversion has delayed the vessel, so it won’t be in Gaza until Monday, assuming it’s not intercepted.

Rights group calls on Canada to pressure Israel to allow flotilla safe passage

Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) has called on Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to “take immediate action” to ensure the safety of the Madleen.

“The Madleen is not a threat. It is a lifeline to a besieged people facing starvation and genocide,” Michael Bueckert, the group’s acting president, said in a statement.

“If Canada claims to support a rules-based international order, it must uphold the rights of civilian actors delivering aid and oppose any act of aggression against them. Carney must acknowledge that blocking or attacking this flotilla would be a war crime, plain and simple.”

CJPME also urged Canada to promise that any attacks on the flotilla will incur sanctions.

Last month, Carney issued a joint statement with French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer warning Israel to end its bombardment and blockade of Gaza, or risk “concrete actions in response”.

‘No justification’ for blocking aid ship to Gaza, Amnesty says

Amid reports that the Madleen may be intercepted by the Israeli Navy within the next 48 to 72 hours, Amnesty International has reiterated that the Freedom Flotilla Coalition vessel “must be allowed to carry out its peaceful mission safely free from intimidation or attack”.

“There can be no justification for blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza amidst catastrophic levels of hunger and suffering and one of the worst manmade humanitarian disasters in the world,” it said on X.

What happened when the Madleen responded to a migrant boat distress signal?

While crossing international waters in the Central Mediterranean on its way to Gaza yesterday, the Madleen received a mayday call relayed through one of the Frontex drones operated by Europe’s border security agency.

With no other vessel able to respond, the Madleen diverted to the distressed vessel, where it found 30 to 40 people trapped in a rapidly deflating dinghy.

While the crew of the Madleen were attempting a rescue of their own, they were approached at speed by a unit of the Libyan Coast Guard, specifically one belonging to the Tareq Bin Zayed brigade, which Al Jazeera has previously reported upon.

On realising that the approaching vessel belonged to the Libyan Coast Guard, four dinghy passengers jumped into the water and swam to the Madleen, where they were rescued.

The remainder were taken on board the Libyan Coast Guard’s vessel and presumably returned to Libya.

FFC says Libyan vessel known for human rights violations involved in pullback

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition has said in a statement that the Tareq Bin Zayed, a vessel operated by eastern Libyan authorities known for grave human rights violations, was behind the pullback of asylum seekers witnessed by the crew on board the Madleen.

As we reported earlier, the coalition’s vessel changed its course while en route to Gaza on Thursday to respond to a distress call. Four refugees jumped in the water when the Libyan vessel approached and swam to the Madleen.

Al Jazeera’s own investigation into the Tareq Bin Zayed has found that European powers are working directly and indirectly with eastern Libyan authorities to prevent the arrival of asylum seekers.

Witness accounts collected by Al Jazeera and a consortium of journalists also found that returned migrants are subject to inhumane treatment, including torture and abuse.

‘They cannot block us,’ says activist on Madleen aid ship to Gaza

One of the 12 activists on board the Madleen has posted an update on their progress, saying the mission would not be deterred by Israel’s threats to block them.

In a video posted to X, Thiago Avila said the crew, which includes high-profile climate activist Greta Thunberg, was not intimidated by a message they had received from Israel on Thursday.

He said Israeli authorities had said that the Madleen, which is carrying food and medical supplies, would be blocked from entering Gaza – and that if they attempted to deliver them, they would come under attack.

“It’s important that we understand that Netanyahu and any other repressive regime throughout history, they actually fear the people, we do not fear them,” he said.

“We know that this is part of a global uprising much larger than this humble mission of 12 people on a small boat. It will not be through force that they will make a way to defeat us.”

Madleen continues its journey towards Gaza

Forensic Architecture, a multidisciplinary research group based at Goldsmiths, University of London, has equipped the Madleen with an advanced tracking system.

In its live feed, we can see that the Madleen is currently off the southeast coast of the Greek island of Crete as it makes its way towards Gaza.